"I had the same expectations of myself, and it was disappointing not quite being able to put it to the back of my mind and not being able to do it," he said.

Henry Slade missed the Six Nations after his injury on 5 December

"I had a lot of chats with the coaches on how I'm going to get through it and I just went back to basics and just focused on my job."

Exeter's win over Wasps means they will face European champions Saracens with the Premiership title at stake, just six years after reaching the game's top-flight.

And while the Chiefs may be underdogs, the players are confident they can win the domestic game's biggest prize.

"Maybe we're surprising other people, but internally as a squad and with the coacher and everyone behind us as well, there is a massive expectation for us and we know we have a lot of confidence in our ability and we've just got to show that next week," Slade added.

"I know Saracens have done the double on us this year, but we did the double on them last year.

"We definitely know we can beat them. At the end of the day it is another game of rugby, but there's massive stakes on the line and we've just got to go for it."